of her?"

"What, the devil! of a gypsy girl?"

("Well just try it with her," thought Lorand, "at any rate you will get
'per procura,' that box on the ears which I cannot give you.")

"Ha, ha! we shall not fight a duel for a gypsy girl, shall we, my boy?"

"Nor for any other girl."

"You have become a wise man like me: I like that. A woman is only a
woman. Among others, what do you say to Madame Balnokhazy? I find she is
still more beautiful than her daughter. _Ma foi_, on my word of honor!
Those ten years on the stage have only done her good. I believe she is
still in love with you."

"That's quite natural," said Lorand in jesting scorn.

In the meantime they had reached the park; they found Topandy and Czipra
by the bridge. Lorand introduced Pepi Gyali as his old school-fellow.

That name fairly magnetized Czipra.--Melanie's fiance!--So the lover had
come after his bride. What a kind fellow this Pepi Gyali was! A really
most amiable young man!

Gyali quite misunderstood the favorable impression his name and
appearance made on Czipra: he was ready to attribute it to his
irresistible charms.

After briefly making the acquaintance of the old man, he very rapidly
took over the part of courtier, which every cavalier according to the
rules of the world is bound to do; besides, she was a gypsy girl,
and--Lorand was not jealous.

"You have in one moment explained to me something over which I have
racked my brains a whole day."

"What can that be?" inquired Czipra curiously.

"How it is that some one can prefer fried fish and fried rolls at
Sarvoelgyi's to cabbage at Topandy's?"

"Who may that someone be?"

"Why, I could not understand that Miss Melanie was able to persuade
herself to change this house for that; now I know: she must have put up
with a great persecution here."

"Persecution?" said Czipra, astonished:--the gentlemen too stared at the
speaker.--"Who would have persecuted her?"

"Who? Why these eyes!" said Gyali, gazing flatteringly into Czipra's
eyes. "The poor girl could not stand the rivalry. It is quite natural
that the moon, however sweet and poetic a phenomenon, always flees
before the sun."

To Czipra this speech was very surprising. There are many who do not
like overburdened sweetness.

"Ah, Melanie is far more beautiful than I," she said, casting her eyes
down, and growing very serious.

"Well it is my bounden duty to believe in that, as in all the miracles
of the apostles: but